Charlie Lindgren still remembers the first hockey game he played as a goalie — and it’s not a good memory.

“It’s hard to forget,” the Canadiens rookie goalie said after an optional practice Friday in Brossard. “I let in 13 goals. It’s still a career high, thankfully. I’ve had one 12-goal game, but 13 was the first game.

“I remember my mom, especially, saying she thought I’d never do it again,” he added. “But I stuck with it.”

Lindgren, a Minnesota native, was 10 at the time. He started playing hockey at 4, but his father wouldn’t let him play goalie at first.

“It’s important to be a good skater as a goalie,” Lindgren said. “Robb Stauber was my first goalie coach. He played goalie for the L.A. Kings and I think he told my dad: ‘Have him learn how to skate and be a good skater,’ and my dad listened to him.”

Lindgren’s father, Bob, knows a bit about goaltending himself, having played the position until he was 19, including 13 games with the University of Michigan. Bob’s goaltending idol was Ken Dryden and as a result he has always been a big Canadiens fan. Bob and his wife, Jennifer, watched their son in action with the Canadiens at the Bell Centre for the first time Thursday night — a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

It was the first loss of Lindgren’s NHL career, dropping his record to 5-1-0 with an impressive 1.50 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. Lindgren will make his fourth straight start in place of the injured Carey Price (lower body) when the Buffalo Sabres visit the Bell Centre Saturday night (7 p.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690). Al Montoya (upper body) joined Price on the injured list Friday and the Canadiens called up Zach Fucale from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on an emergency basis to back up Lindgren.

Lindgren’s parents will be at the Bell Centre again for Saturday’s game. Lindgren joined them at their downtown hotel after Thursday’s game, bringing his post-game meal with him from the locker room.

“They’re super proud,” Lindgren said about his parents.

Lindgren’s hockey career started as a forward.

“I like playing forward … still do when I get a chance in the summer,” the 23-year-old goalie said. “I used to love playing outdoor hockey.”

Lindgren was a big Wild fan while growing up in Minnesota and his favourite player was forward Marian Gaborik. But he also liked to watch different goalies, listing Cam Ward, Nikolai Khabibulin, Manny Fernandez, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Marc-André Fleury and Price among his favourites.

While technique has been the key to Price’s success, Lindgren has a much different style of play.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

Postmedia is pleased to bring you a new commenting experience. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.